Why there’s a Group/Individual (interview-based) Project

• Practicing Research in non-academic setting
• Reaching out to people with some predetermined agenda
• Attempt on additional insight by taking in first-hand primary data through interviews
• Something that wasn’t possible with existing framework on your more ‘academic’ research
• Opportunity to collect data and synthesize insights
• Recognize and celebrate the inherent bias that you bring in

Pros and Cons: Working as a Group vs. Individual

• Working as a group, you will:
  • Get a chance to reach more people thus expanding your professional network
  • Write a smaller portion of the overall report on findings, however in the meantime
  • losing control over showflow and
  • unable to push the conversation in desired directions, potentially leaving questions unanswered.
• Working as an individual, you will:
  • Reach more people (unlike previously which was per-person level) and expand professional network further
  • have more control over how the conversation goes and ask questions that resonates more with you,
  • free to manipulate the formation of your final group report to be more consistent with your vision yet
  • less likely to get more positive answer to do a sit-down interview, even a zoom-based one and
  • write the full report on one’s own and coming up with all questions that you’ll want to ask

Make your pick according to your liking.

Descriptive vs. Analytical Writing

Welcome to today’s session on distinguishing between descriptive and analytical writing. Let’s enhance our academic writing skills together!

Activity: Identify the Writing Style

We’ll go through several examples. For each, determine if it’s descriptive or analytical. After your response, we’ll reveal the correct answer and discuss.

Example 1: Question

“User engagement metrics have decreased by 20% over the past three months.”

Question:
Is this statement descriptive or analytical?

Example 1: Answer

Answer: Descriptive

Explanation:
The sentence reports a fact (a 20% drop) without delving into any reasons or implications behind the metric change.

Example 2: Question

“Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory that arranges human needs in a pyramid, with physiological needs at the base and self-actualization at the top.”

Question:
Is this statement descriptive or analytical?

Example 2: Answer

Answer: Descriptive

Explanation:
While it explains the pyramid structure, it does not analyze or critique the theory’s applicability or limitations across different cultures.

Example 3: Question

“The experiment demonstrated that plants exposed to sunlight grew faster than those kept in the shade.”

Question:
Is this statement descriptive or analytical?

Example 3: Answer

Answer: Descriptive

Explanation:
The statement provides an observation (faster growth with sunlight) without discussing the process or significance of the finding.

Example 4: Question

“In Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of her husband’s actions serves as a commentary on the corrupting power of unchecked ambition and challenges traditional gender roles in Shakespearean society.”

Question:
Is this statement descriptive or analytical?

Example 4: Answer

Answer: Analytical

Explanation:
It not only identifies Lady Macbeth’s influence but also interprets her actions as a critique of societal norms, thus offering analytical insight.

Example 5: Question

“Survey results show that 60% of respondents prefer online shopping over in-store shopping.”

Question:
Is this statement descriptive or analytical?

Example 5: Answer

Answer: Descriptive

Explanation:
It presents a statistic without discussing why users might prefer online shopping or its implications for consumer behavior.

Example 6: Question

“While the interface layout includes a navigation bar, a content area, and a footer, this design might impede user engagement if it fails to prioritize the most critical user tasks, suggesting a need for a more dynamic, behavior-driven layout.”

Question:
Is this statement descriptive or analytical?

Example 6: Answer

Answer: Analytical

Explanation:
The statement goes beyond description by assessing the potential drawbacks of the layout and suggesting improvements based on user behavior.

Key Takeaways

• Descriptive vs. Analytical:
  • Descriptive writing states facts or observations.
    
  • Analytical writing explains the significance, reasoning, and implications behind those facts.
• Depth of Analysis:
  • Effective academic writing connects evidence with critical interpretation.
    
  • Always ask: “Why is this important?” and “What does this mean for the overall argument?”
• Practical Strategies for Improvement:
  • Peer Review: Leverage feedback from classmates to identify areas lacking analysis.
    
  • Reverse Outlining: Break down your text to pinpoint descriptive versus analytical sections.
• Continuous Revision:
  • Use these insights to refine your drafts, deepening your analysis and improving clarity.

Enhancing Your Analytical Writing

Objective:
- Develop your analytical writing skills by examining and revising your literature review or methodology sections.
- Engage in collaborative activities to practice critical analysis.

Today’s Activities:
1. Peer Review: In pairs, analyze each other’s writing using guided questions.
2. Reverse Outlining: Break down a text (yours or a provided sample) to identify strengths and gaps.

Stage 1: Peer Review Activity

Time: 25 minutes

Instructions:

1. Pair Up: Find a partner in the room.
2. Exchange Materials: Share your literature review or methodology section (or use the provided sample).
3. Guided Review: Use these questions as you read your partner’s work:
   • Thesis & Argument:
     • Is the thesis clear and arguable?
     • Does the argument show critical evaluation rather than just stating facts?
   • Use of Evidence:
     • Is evidence well integrated and analyzed?
     • Does the writer explain the significance of each piece of evidence?
   • Structure & Flow:
     • Are the ideas presented logically?
     • Do transitions connect the analysis throughout the paper?

Goal:
- Provide constructive feedback focused on deepening the analysis.

Stage 2: Reverse Outlining Exercise

Time: 25 minutes

Instructions:

1. Choose Your Text: Pick a section from the previously worked-upon example you looked at (4-5 paragraphs max).
2. Number Each Paragraph: Number the paragraphs in the margin for clarity.
3. Summarize Each Paragraph: In one sentence, capture the main idea or argument of each paragraph.
4. Evaluate the Outline:
   • Does each summary contribute to your overall argument?
     
   • Identify any parts that are merely descriptive rather than analytical.
5. Plan Revisions: Mark paragraphs that need more critical insight or better integration of evidence.

Goal:
- Reveal the structure and flow of your argument and present to each other. - Identify areas where you can add deeper analysis or clarity.

Reflection & Discussion

Discussion Questions:
- What new insights did you gain about your own writing from these activities?
- How can the feedback from your peer review inform your revisions?
- What specific changes will you make to improve the analytical depth of your paper?

Next Steps:
- Revise your draft based on the insights and feedback received. - Schedule a follow-up session if you need additional support on integrating analytical writing techniques.

Double-check your submission to make sure that it can be considered a followable instruction manual by the domain experts.

Question received last week

• How to use coding to do data visualization?
  • By programming language:
    • Python, R, Javascript (Processing/Arduino)
  • By type of programming:
    • (Text-based) Programming
    • Graphical/Visual/Block-based programming: Grasshopper
• How does data visualization differ in commercial vs. academic/research settings
  • Commercial:
    • Goal: Support decision-making
    • Designed to deliver messages
  • Academic:
    • Goal: Present evidence and analysis alongside findings
    • Designed to present evidence

Visualizing Quantitative Data

• How do you usually work with them?
• What do you think are your biggest strength in treating them? Color Pallete and aethetics plus readability
• Types of data that can be visualized:
  • Numerical
  • Categorical
  • Text (Free text)
  • Tabular: multi-dimensional combined as above

Time Series Data

• Adding one more dimension
• Time-stamped information, usually numerical
• Scale of time series often important, similar to (potentially necessary) smoothing

Alternative Time Series Visualization

## Sankey Diagram - Inflow/Outflow - Numerical Data that traces back to the source - Programmable yet messy in execution